1. Field of the Invention
The device and method of this invention reside in the area of boat transporting and launching devices and more particularly relate to a device for supporting the end of a boat such as a canoe and a method for launching the boat upside down by one person without the necessity of inverting the boat before launching.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many devices have been developed over the years to assist individuals in launching small boats. These devices usually consist of wheels which are affixed to one end of a boat and the user at the other end directs the boat with the wheels rolling on the ground. Such a concept is disclosed in the Boat-wheelbarrow, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,361,592 to Bjork where such a wheel assists in the removal of a boat from a vehicle and allows the user to hold one end of the boat supported on its oars and to roll the boat forward up to the water while the boat is upside down. Another device of this type, described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,162 to Lindbloom, incorporates a wheel system under the boat whereby the boat is rolled upside down to the water.
The problem with the prior art is that if the wheel is mounted on top of the boat and the boat is wheeled to the water upside down, the boat must be inverted on land and then either dragged or pushed into the water. This feat can be physically difficult to accomplish. If one positions the wheel(s) on the bottom on the boat, then the boat can be wheeled directly into the water, but one then has the wheel(s) in the water attached to the bottom of the boat. This problem has been addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,665 to Hinnant where the boat detaches from the wheel structure and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,798 to Zopetic where the wheels swing from beneath the canoe up to the top of the canoe.